Amazon S3
From Forklift Wiki
New Connection
- cmd-K
- Go > Connect...
toolbar icon
New Bucket
- File > New Bucket
- F7 or cmd-shift-N
ForkLift's implementation for managing the Amazon S3 service allows you to work with the data stored on the S3 server in the same way you work with local data. This means management tools such as QuickLook, editing files, browsing archives or using Batch Rename are all available.
You can greatly enhance your workflow for a frequently used connection by storing it as a Favorite and taking advantage of our amazing Local Path and Copy URL features, for faster access and better management of your files.
To set up or modify an Amazon S3 connection open a new connection or edit an existing Favorite.
- Select Amazon S3.
- Enter a name for the connection. This is how the connection will show up on the Sidebar (optional).
- Enter Access Key ID
- Enter Secret Access Key.
- Remember password in keychain - check this option if you want ForkLift to store the password using your Mac keychain.
- You can choose to add this connection to your FAVORITES straight away.
- Click Connect.
On connection, a spinning progress indicator shows the connection is in progress. An alert is displayed if the connection fails for some reason.
Once the connection is established, the volume is listed in ForkLift's Sidebar under CONNECTIONS.
You can disconnect from the server by clicking the small eject button next to the connection's name in the Sidebar, or selecting the connection in the Sidebar and clicking File > Disconnect.
[edit] New Bucket
Amazon S3 uses a proprietary system for storing files, with the basic file container unit being the bucket.
To create a new bucket, simply use the shortcut for New Folder, or use File > New Bucket. At this point, ForkLift will prompt you for information on the bucket
- Enter a name for the new bucket (must be individual)
- Select whether the bucket should be created on the US or the European servers.
- Click OK
[edit] Transfer concurrency
One of the basics of ForkLift's superior speed is that it connects to the server through several connections, and uses them all in concert to speed up transfers. Since this represents an increased load on the target server, controls are provided to adjust the number of connections depending on your server.
Preferences > General > Enable concurrent transfers on connections - enables the use of multithread transfers. You can manually set the maximum number of connections (default: 5).
Using concurrent transfers is obviously more taxing on the server, and may result in dropped transfers or recurring timeouts on slow servers. In this case, decrease the concurrency value, or disable concurrent transfers.
[edit] Advanced settings
| Connection Timeout | sets the period of time after which ForkLift will abandon a connection attempt if the server fails to respond (default: 30 sec). |
| Use HTTPS secure connection | check in to use the https protocol |
| Cache directory content | makes ForkLift store file lists in a cache file. This allows for faster navigation on the Amazon S3 account. (default: on) |
Exemptions to normal workflow on FTP connections:
- Moving items to connected volumes is not allowed at this time. Move to is replaced by a copy to action.
- Deleting files means deleting them immediately. Trash is not available for remote volumes.
- You cannot create symlinks on S3 volumes.
NOTE: There are a number of applications around for managing Amazon S3 accounts, and most of us will use a different method for emulating usual file management operations. You may therefore experience some inconvenience when you switch from one client to the other. Inconveniences mean that you may see a list of seemingly senseless item names instead of the folders and files you expected. This is only an issue of reading file information in a different way - your data is not compromised in any way, and you'll see all your files OK when you return to your original Amazon client.
